Reader Letters | Sequestration threat real to public health

Sequestration - it's not just an obscure policy term. It refers to the across-the-board cuts to the federal budget that will deeply affect members of our community.

I am a research professor and chair of the Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology at the University of Louisville. Our department, which contributes significantly to the teaching mission of the School of Medicine, is also the home of several world-class scientists that study many aspects of the brain and spinal cord function.

This work provides the foundation that we hope will one day lead to successful treatment of many developmental and degenerative diseases that affect our senses and mental health, as well as our ability to recover from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. Funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is essential to improve health outcomes for the more than 100 million Americans who suffer from brain-based diseases and disorders. NIH is also the cornerstone of a robust economy. Across the U.S., sequestration cuts to NIH are estimated to result in 30,000 fewer jobs and a $4.5 billion decrease in economic activity.

In Kentucky, NIH grants provided $156.3 million in funding and supported 3,680 jobs in 2011. Our senior senator, Republican leader Mitch McConnell, is in a unique position to affect the outcome of the debate on sequestration. It is important for the health and economy of Kentucky as well as the nation, that Sen. McConnell takes a strong stance to avert sequestration, which threatens to cut $2.5 billion from the NIH budget.

The NIH is the world's premier biomedical research entity, providing funding to thousands of institutions across the country to advance science. Every family in America has been touched by illness or disease. Sen. McConnell can stand up for those families by advocating a fiscal policy that continues the tradition of broad bipartisan support for biomedical research.

WILLIAM GUIDO, Ph.D.

Louisville 40205

Lower carbon footprint

The article "Carbon pollution up to 2 million pounds a second" published by The Courier-Journal on Dec. 3 stated it is "unlikely that global warming can be limited to a couple of degrees, which is an international goal." The article continues, "We are losing control of our ability to get a handle on the global warming problem."

The United States and Germany are the only major countries to report a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. It is important to note that Germany has achieved the reduction through planning and investment in long-term renewable energy and energy conservation. The reduction in the United States can be attributed to the down economy and shifting from coal to natural gas because natural gas is cheaper. Because natural gas has a lower carbon footprint and is cheaper than coal, it will be consumed at a growing rate. We are shifting from one land-destroying carbon energy source to another without changing our long-term behavior to address the real problem.

Louisville's draft Sustainability Plan is being reviewed by Mayor Greg Fischer. It is critical that this plan, crafted under the fine direction of Maria Koetter, is given prominence in the list of priorities to be addressed by our community.

I hope this plan recommends bold actions, so Louisville will be a leader in the United States by changing our behaviors and attitudes regarding global climate change. We can use this plan and our share of the fight to save the only climate we have, to spur excellent long-term community planning and build sustainable economic growth. Change is up to each of us and then our collective community. We must all step up to dramatically lower our carbon footprint.

MARK K. WOURMS, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest

Clermont, Ky. 40110

Louisville, Kentucky • Southern Indiana

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Reader Letters | Sequestration threat real to public health

Sequestration ? it's not just an obscure policy term. It refers to the across-the-board cuts to the federal budget that will deeply affect members of our community.